Long-range radio frequency receiver-controller module and wireless control system comprising same

Abstract

A long-range radio frequency (RF) transceiver-controller module configured to transmit and receive RF signals in one or more of the 433, 868, 915 MHz, and 2.4 and 5.8 GHz Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) frequency bands is provided that is capable of consistently transmitting such signals over a range of 100 meters or more without line of sight, including underground. A wireless control system that comprises a plurality of the long-range RF transceiver-controller modules arranged in a distributed, ad hoc networking topography is also provided. The wireless control system has utility in a wide range of medical, industrial, agricultural, military and commercial applications, including, for example, the management of irrigation systems, manufacturing processes, security systems, sewage treatment and handling systems, hospital management systems.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates generally to wireless control systems and, more particularly, to wireless control systems utilising radio frequency transceivers that operate in the ISM frequency bands.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Modern wireless communications technology uses radio frequencies (RF) to transmit information. A variety of frequencies are available for such transmission, depending on the complexity of the information being transmitted, such as text versus multi-channel video. A variety of standards, including for example Bluetooth and WiFi, have been developed for mid- to high-range data rates for voice, PC LANs, video and the like. In contrast, the only standard currently in place for remote control and sensor applications is Zigbee. Sensor and control networks do not require high bandwidth, but do require low latency and low power consumption. ZigBee provides for a general-purpose, inexpensive self-organising mesh network that is designed...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Nodes act as repeaters to transmit data from nearby nodes to nodes that are too far away to reach, resulting in a network that can span large distances, especially over rough or difficult terrain.

These license costs add to the creation, scalability and maintenance costs of any system using wireless communication methods.

These frequency bands are, however, very narrow, which limits the amount of information that can be transmitted quickly.

Hard wired systems such as these are, however, expensive to install, are not easily scalable and are extremely vulnerable to lightning strikes or damage to the control wires.

Damage to buried control wires can be difficult to trace and repair, increasing the cost of such systems.

Such communication systems are, however, power intensive, and the signals can be disrupted by obstacles such as buildings, metal structures, hills, cloud cover or even dense foliage.

Pre-programmed irrigation schedules, however, are unable to adapt to environmental changes such as precipitation or microclimates, which can result in water being wasted in irrigating at times when irrigation is not required.

The system is designed to be self-operating without the need for a central controller and thus requires that the nodes in the system be relatively complex and able to make decisions independently.

Control of the system requires a large number of independent sensor and actuator nodes, which in combination with the multi-hop transmission of information signals, results in a large amount of RF traffic within the system.

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